Relay device



June 8 1926. 1,587,507

M. D. CHURCH RELAY DEVICE Filed Sept. 17, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I r r Hj do" W M 13 I -26 ,zd'

gvvuentoz M. D. CHURCH RELAY DEVICE June 8 1926,

Filed Sept. 17, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,587,507 RATENT OFFICE.

MAYNARD n. cannon, or rmn'rroan, coniancrrcu'r.

RELAY DEVICE,

Application flled'Sept-ember 17, 1923'. Serial No. 663,322.

'stance,) may be caused to actuate other apparatus which may be locatedat a distance or which may require power beyond the capacity of theactuating means or device acting directly. More specifically, an objectof the invention-is to provide apparatus to cause changes or variationsin the force to produce-proportional changes in a fluid pressure from anexternal source admitted to suitable pressure responsive means so thatvariations in thisfluid pressure may be employed to operate valves,dampers, rheostats, or other mechanism.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, ,Ihave shown, for illustrative purposes, two forms which the invention maytake, it being understood. however, that the invention is not limited tothese two forms. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of one practical form of apparatusembodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the invention; and IFig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing, for purposes of illustration..the manner in which my improved apparatus or' device may be employed tooperate a damper for a furnace used in connection with a steam boiler.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A denotes generally my improvedrelay device, and B suitable actuating mechanism or means so associatedtherewith that variations in the force of this actuating means will betransmitted by fluid pressure controlled by the relay device to suitableresponsive devices, such as a pressure responsive device C (see Fig.3.), which governs the closing and opening of a check damper D which, inturn, may'afiect the pressure in the primary actuating device B. Theactuating means B is here shown as being in the form of a pressureresponsive device and, more specifically, as having a diaphragm actingon the relay device, but it is to be understood that the present disclosure is by way of illustration only, the particular construction or formof actuating means constituting no specific part of the invention. therelay device may be efi'ected by variations in forces of various kindsas, for instance, by variations in pressure, or temperature, orotherwise.

Referring now to the construction of the relay device of the presentinvention, and

particularly to that embodiment thereof shown in Fig. 1, designates. avalve actuated by the pressure responsive device B, and 11 designates apressure responsive element so associated with the valve and actuatingmeans that when the valve is moved by the actuating means it so controlsthe admission of a fluid pressure to the pressure responsive element 11that the force then exerted by this pressure responsive element willbalance theforce of the actuating means and thus throw the valve meansinto neutral position. In the present instance, the

pressure responsive element or piston 11 is directly connected to thevalve 10, butit is within the purview of the invention to otherwisearrange the parts while, at the same time, obtaining the result justdescribed. The valve body of the relay device includes a casing 12within which is closely fitted a bushing 13. Communicating with the boreor chamber 14 of the bushing 13 is an inlet port which includes a port15 in the bushing, an annular chamber 16, and an inlet pipe 17 thelatter leading from a suitable supply of fluid under pressure. Above theinlet port is a drain or exhaust port leading from the chamber 14 to thedrain pipe 18 and consisting of a port 19 in the bushing and an annulargroove or chamber 20 in the casing. Located vertically between the inletand drain ports is an'outlet port 21 leading from the chamber 14 to thepipe 22 which, in turn, leads to the device to be actuated, such as thedevice G of Fig. 3. The valve has a reduced portion 23 located withinthe chamber 14 of the bushing. Leading from the outlet port 21 to thechamber 24 below the lhe movement or actuation of piston 11 is a by-passor port 25. An openlng 26 leading from the chamber immediately above thepiston 11 is provided so that any fluid which may seep into this chamberwill drain Off.

With the arrangement described, it will be seen that when the valve stemis forced downwardly, due to an increase in force in the actuatingdevice, the inlet port 15 is uncovered and the fluid under pressure willflow from the inlet pipe 17 through the chamber 14 to the pipe 22 andeffect actuation of the receiving or actuated device G. The fluidpressure admitted to the outlet port will also be communicated throughthe by-pass 25 to the cylinder or chamber 24, thus forcing the piston orpressure responsive element upwardly against the force of the actuatingdevice B. When this upward force acting on the piston balances theactuating force, the valve stem will be moved upward until the valve isin neutral or central position and in which position both the inlet andrain ports are closed so that the pressure in the outlet port 21 will bemaintained constant. If the force acting on the actuating devicedecreases, the valve will be moved upwardly uncovering the drain port 19with the result that the fluid will discharge from the outlet portthrough the chamber 14 to the drain port, thus reducing the pressureacting on the receiving device 0 and the pressure acting on the piston11 until the state of balance again brings. the valve to the centralposition where it closes both the inlet and drain ports. Thus, for everyvalue in the change of force exerted by the actuating device, there willbe a correspondingly controlled fluid pressure produced in the outletconnection and in the receiving or pressure responsive device or devicesconnected therein.

'In the present instance, the actuating device B is shown more or lessdiagrammatically as a conventional diaphragm pressure responsive device.Changes within the chamber 30 above the diaphragm 31 cause flexure ofthis diaphragm which will result in movement of the valve stem. In thepresent instance, this stem has a head 32 which bears against thediaphragm. If desired, the spring 33 may be employed for resilientlyholding the valve stem against the diaphragm, and the tension of thisspring may be varied by means of a nut 34.

Fig. 2 shows a variation of construction arranged to operate withpressure acting normally upward on the valve. The elements of thisstructure are more or less similar to those in Fig. 1, there being aninlet 17, a pipe connection 22', and an exhaust or drain 18. In thisconstruction, the device is arranged for working with an upward force,such as P, acting on the valve. Variations in this force are balanced bymemo? controlled fluid pressure acting downward on the piston 11. Theinlet 17 and the exhaust 18, upon motion of the valve 10 upwardly ordownwardly, as the case may be, are connected with the ports 35 and 36,respectively, connected with the pipe connection 22f by the annularchamber 37. In this case, fluid under pressure is admitted to the space24 between the piston 11 and the valve bushing 13 through a duct 25.

The operation of the device shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that of theconstruction shown in Fig. 1, the port 35 being uncovered when the valve10 is raised, and the port 36 be ing uncovered upon depression of thevalve 10. Similarly, when the pressure against the piston 11' issufficient to counterbalance the upward pressure on the stem of thevalve 10, both the ports 35 and 36, respectively, are closed .andmaintained in this position until a further variation of pressure on thevalve stem occurs.

In Fig. 3, there is shown diagrammatically an application of theapparatus, as, for instance, that shown in Fig. 1, to operate a checkdamper D associated with the boiler which may be generating steam whichit is desired to maintain at a constant pressure. The relay device,which may be called a hydraulic transmitter, is shown at A. Theactuating device B is provided with a steam connection 40 from theboiler. For a slight increase of pressure in the boiler, as transmittedby the pipe connection 40 to pressure responsive device B, there will bea corresponding but greater change in the controlled fluid pressuretransmitted through the connection 22 under the control of thetransmitter A to the pressure responsive controlling device C, and thedamper D will be caused to move in response to'changes in pressure inthe pipe 40 and in a predetermined relation thereto.

Thus, by the above construction, are accomplished, among others, theobjects hereinbefore referred to.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language usedin the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

I'claim as my invention:

1. In combination, actuating means, fluid pressure responsive meansarranged to exert meme? 8 a force in direct opposition to the forceexerted by said actuating means, and valve means associated with andcontrolled by said mentioned means and controlling fluid pressure actingon said pressure responsive means so the force exerted by the latterwill balance the force of said actuating means.

2. In combination, actuating means capable of exerting a varying force,fluid pressure responsive means capable of exerting a force in directopposition to the force of the actuating means, and valve meansassociated with and controlled by, at least one of said first mentionedmeans and controlling fluid pressure acting on the pressure responsivemeans so that the force exerted by the latter will balance the force ofthe actuating means.

3. In combination, actuating means, fluid pressure responsive meansarranged to exert a hydraulic force in opposition to the force exertedby said actuating means, conduit means for transmitting controlled fluidto pressure responsive apparatus, and valve means associated with andcontrolled by said mentioned means and controlling fluid pressureadmitted to said conduit means and also controlling fluid pressureacting on said pressure responsive means so the force exerted by thelatter will balance the force of said actuating means.

4. ln combination, actuating means capable of exerting a varying force,fluid pres" sure responsive means capable of exerting a force in directopposition to the force of said actuating means in proportion to thefluid pressure acting on said fluid pressure responsive means, and valvemeans actuated by movements of one of said first mentioned means forcontrolling a fluid pressure admitted from an external source and actingon said fluid pressure responsive means so the fluid pressure will be afunction of the force exerted by the actuating means.

5. In combination, a primary fluid pressure responsive device capable ofexerting a force varying with a primary fluid pressure acting on it, asecond fluid pressure responsive element arranged to exert a force indirect opposition to the force of said device in proportion to a secondfluid pressure acting on said element, and valve means responsive tomovements of said device and arranged to so control the secondary fluidpressure acting on said second fluid pressure responsive element thatthe controlled secondary fluid pressure will be a function of theprimary fluid pressure.

6. In combination, a primary fluid pressure responsive device capable ofexerting a force varying with a primary fluid pressure acting on it, asecond fluid pressure responsive element arranged to exert a forcedirectly opposing that of said device in proportion to a second fluidpressure acting on said element, other pressure responsive apparatus towhich the controlled secondary fluid pressure is admitted, and valvemeans responsive to movements of said device and arranged to so controlthe change in the secondary pressure admitted to said other apparatusand element that said change will be a function of the change in theprimary fluid pressure.

7. A device of the character described, including valve mechanism havinga fluid pressure inlet, a fluid pressure outlet and a drain port, and avalve controlling the admission and discharge of fluid to and from saidoutlet; a chamber communicating with said outlet; and a pressureresponsive element in said chamber so connected to said valve as todirectly oppose a force capable of moving the same.

8. A device of the character described, including a chamber and apressure responsive element therein; and valve mechanism including avalve fixedly connected to said element and arranged to so control theadmission of fluid under pressure to said chamber that the force exertedon said element will oppose and balance a force exerted on said valve.

9. A device of the character described, including a primary pressureresponsive device, a secondary pressure responsive device including achamber and a pressure responsive element therein, and a valve mechanismincluding a valve responsive to movements of said primary device andarranged to control the admission of fluid under pressure to saidchamber so that the force exerted on said element will oppose andbalance the force exerted by said primary device, said valve having astem engaging said primary device, said element of said secondary devicebeing connected to, so as to move with, said valve and stem.

10. In combination, actuating means, a fluid pressure responsive .devicehaving an element arranged to exert a force in opposition to the forceexerted by said actuating means, and valve means associated with andcontrolled by said actuating means and device and controlling fluidpressure acting onsaid device so the force exerted by the latter willbalance the force of said actuating means, said element being moved inone direction by said actuating means and said element being moved inthe opposite direction by the fluid pressure admitted to said element bysaid valve means.

MAYNARD D. CHURCH,

